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Journals / Kafkasya Çalışmaları / 2026 / Sayı: 2026

Minting Sovereignty: Hidden Projects of Nation-Building in Nineteenth-Century Circassia

Minting Sovereignty: Hidden Projects of Nation-Building in Nineteenth-Century Circassia [Egemenliği Darbetmek: 19. Yüzyıl Çerkesya’sında Ulus İnşasının Gizli Projeleri]

Yahya Khoon(The Open University of Israel)0009-0005-5434-2131
Pages
1–20
Publication Date
2026-02-15
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

By situating these episodes within the frameworks of imagined communities (Anderson) and invented traditions (Hobsbawm and Ranger), the article underscores how material culture served as a medium for political imagination and statecraft in the nineteenth-century Circassia.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:This article examines unpublished Ottoman and British archival sources that shed new light on Circassian political aspirations in the aftermath of the Crimean War (1856–1857).
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Key Findings & Data:Through the analysis of interrogation protocols, diplomatic memoranda, and customs records, the study uncovers the intertwined dynamics of imperial strategy, material culture, and Circassian nation-building.
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Conclusion & Impact:By situating these episodes within the frameworks of imagined communities (Anderson) and invented traditions (Hobsbawm and Ranger), the article underscores how material culture served as a medium for political imagination and statecraft in the nineteenth-century Circassia.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Kafkasya · Çerkesya · Osmanlı İmparatorluğu

Abstract

This article examines unpublished Ottoman and British archival sources that shed new light on Circassian political aspirations in the aftermath of the Crimean War (1856–1857). These documents reveal coordinated initiatives by Circassian leaders—supported by Ottoman and European intermediaries—to mint local currency and produce medals and insignia. These acts functioned as both symbolic gestures and practical steps toward sovereignty and statehood. Through the analysis of interrogation protocols, diplomatic memoranda, and customs records, the study uncovers the intertwined dynamics of imperial strategy, material culture, and Circassian nation-building. It argues that coins, medals, and insignia operated as prototypes of sovereignty in a contested imperial borderland—eliciting suspicion, denial, and retaliatory measures from neighboring empires. By situating these episodes within the frameworks of imagined communities (Anderson) and invented traditions (Hobsbawm and Ranger), the article underscores how material culture served as a medium for political imagination and statecraft in the nineteenth-century Circassia.

Özet

Bu makale, Kırım Savaşı’nın (1856–1857) hemen sonrasında Çerkes siyasal hedeflerine yeni bir ışık tutan yayımlanmamış Osmanlı ve Britanya arşiv kaynaklarını inceler. Bu belgeler, Osmanlı ve Avrupalı aracılar tarafından desteklenen Çerkes liderlerin yerel para basımı ile madalya ve nişan/alamet üretimine yönelik eşgüdümlü girişimlerini ortaya koymaktadır. Bu eylemler hem sembolik jestler hem de egemenlik ve devletleşmeye doğru atılmış pratik adımlar olarak işlev görmüştür. Sorgu tutanakları, diplomatik muhtıralar ve gümrük kayıtlarının analizi aracılığıyla çalışma; imparatorluk stratejisi, maddi kültür ve Çerkes ulus inşası arasındaki iç içe geçmiş dinamikleri açığa çıkarır. Makale, sikkeler, madalyalar ve nişanların çekişmeli bir imparatorluk sınır bölgesinde egemenliğin prototipleri olarak işlediğini; bunun da komşu imparatorluklar tarafından şüphe, inkâr ve misilleme tedbirleriyle karşılandığını savunur. Bu vakaları “hayali cemaatler” (Anderson) ve “icat edilmiş gelenekler” (Hobsbawm ve Ranger) çerçeveleri içinde konumlandırarak, maddi kültürün 19. yüzyıl Çerkesya’sında siyasal tahayyül ve devlet sanatının bir aracı olarak nasıl hizmet ettiğini vurgular.

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Cite This Article

Khoon, Y. (2026). Minting Sovereignty: Hidden Projects of Nation-Building in Nineteenth-Century Circassia. Kafkasya Çalışmaları, Sayı: 2026, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.21488/jocas.1842044

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